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ShortStack, Reno, NV

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2014 American Business Awards

Company: ShortStack, Reno, NV
Company Description: ShortStack is designed to help everyone - from small business owners to big-name agencies - create custom apps that harness the power of social media to connect brands with their audiences. From contests and sweepstakes to virtual gifts and sharing, ShortStack puts brands in touch with their audiences by equipping them with the interactive tools their online customers love.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Tech Company of the Year

Nomination Title: ShortStack

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

It’s been a phenomenal year for ShortStack. Since January 1, 2012, the custom social app platform’s total users have grown 114% and total apps built have grown 140%. ShortStack has grown to 175,000+ users in 184 countries and now serves more than 830 million Facebook fans. What’s more, ShortStack has positioned itself as an industry leader, with expert columns, social media guides, and eBooks.  Owner/co- founder/CEO Jim Belosic’s bootstrapped dot-com company even caught the attention of national media.

What’s all the fuss about? According to Belosic, ShortStack’s success lies in the two pillars of the company: under-promising/over-delivering, and superior customer support.

What exactly are users getting? ShortStack is designed to help everyone – from small business owners to big-name agencies - create custom apps that harness the power of social media to connect brands with their audiences. From contests and sweepstakes to virtual gifts and sharing, ShortStack puts brands in touch with their audiences by equipping them with the interactive tools their online customers love.

In the last year, ShortStack has made several enhancements. It was one of the first custom app platforms to become mobile friendly. Because Facebook doesn’t support custom apps on mobile  devices, ShortStack created a system of “Smart URLs” that detect mobile visitors and show them the mobile version of the app.
ShortStack also added a feature that allows users to embed their apps into their website or blog. In addition to feature enhancements, ShortStack added or improved its integrations with Instagram, Pinterest, MailChimp, HighRise, Constant Contact, and more.

In January 2012, ShortStack has re-purposed its blog from a source of information about ShortStack to an educational social media news source. The blog, Socially Stacked, grew 267% in hits from 2011 to 2012 and several outside news sources such as PR Daily, SmartBlogs and BizMarketing Magazine have published Socially Stacked articles. Today, Socially Stacked receives 40,000+ hits a month.

In that same month, ShortStack launched ShortStack University, a series of short videos with Facebook- based curriculum for new Page admins. The series has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine.

ShortStack also hosts a YouTube Channel that features nearly 100 video tutorials about the ShortStack platform.

From CEO (yes, the CEO!) to intern, each member of the team answers support tickets. No matter the question or issue, each ShortStack user’s support request is answered promptly and carefully - a practice that has ShortStack’s support rating sitting at 98.8 percent. The staff of 10 answers support tickets into the evening, early in the morning, and on the weekends, making sure the freelance designer in Australia receives the same support as the agency in San Francisco.

ShortStack’s open approach to development gives them the ability to keep their product current, attracting big brand users including NBC News, ABC News, ZipCar, Kit Kat, GameStop, Hello Kitty and Vans Shoes to name a few. By plotting feature requests from users, the ShortStack team gets a picture of the trends and demands of social media as they change. Pair this foresight with their already creative and innovative developers, and ShortStack is a product that not only stays relevant, but ahead of the competition.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

ShortStack CEO Jim Belosic started his first business at age 22. By 2011, that graphic and web design company had evolved into ShortStack.

Jim is recognized as a social media expert and regularly contributes to Mashable, Social Media Examiner, CMS Wire, PR Daily and SmartBrief. In 2012, Jim was named Technology Entrepreneur of the Year by the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, honored as a top 20 business leader under age 40 in Reno, Nevada and named one of the city’s 100 most influential business leaders.

The company takes its name from Jim’s hobby: making pancakes. A few years ago he started making creative flapjacks for his daughter and blogged about it. The blog took off, generating a book deal and TV appearances.

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